Speaker Bio
Kaniz Mahdi, currently Director of Technology at AWS Industries, is a visionary technology leader known for transforming telecommunications through Cloud and AI innovations. Her remarkable journey from being one of eleven women in a class of four hundred engineering students in Pakistan to becoming a renowned technology innovator reflects her ability to break barriers and challenge conventional wisdom.
As an inventor of essential tech underpinning Voice over LTE (VoLTE) and key architect shaping 5G and Edge, Mahdi has held executive positions at Deutsche Telekom, VMware, Ciena Corporation, and Ericsson. She is the founder of the Open Grid Alliance, has played pivotal roles in industry-shaping initiatives including the ATIS NextG Alliance and NSF RINGS program and has served on FCC Technology Advisory Council and various industry shaping technology boards.
With more than 45 granted patents and numerous publications, Mahdi's technical excellence has earned her recognition as one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Technology (2021) and Edge Women of the Year (2022). She holds a Master's in Computer Science/Telecommunications from the University of Texas at Dallas and continues to drive innovation that bridges technical complexity with human needs. Her career exemplifies a commitment to evolving technologies that serve humanity while pushing the boundaries of what's possible in telecommunications.